Can Microfiche be Scanned?

Microfiche are slides that can hold hundreds of images of documents. They are between 15mm and 35mm, for context the average fingernail grows 35mm a month! Microfiche has become redundant as digital solutions have taken over. Despite this, many businesses still use microfiche to save space. But it is easy to lose these tiny slides, and though small, they still have to be physically stored somewhere and in a specific, controlled environment to keep them in the best possible condition.

How long does microfiche last?

This microfilm will self-destruct in…

No matter how well your microfiche is kept deterioration will occur. By the time you notice your microfiche starting to decay nothing can be done. Industry guidelines indicate that microfiche lasts between 100 to 500 years. However, the lifetime of microfiche falls dramatically if the film is not stored or handled correctly. Easily done especially with a generation unfamiliar with microfiche entering the workforce. Despite these issues, many businesses don’t know how to start transferring this information to a modern format. Can Microfiche be Scanned? Thankfully Kefron have plenty of experience with the digitisation of microfiche.

Scanning microfiche can be a difficult process if you’re starting from scratch. Thankfully there are many companies with the experience and know how to help you on your journey. Microfiche must be handled with the utmost care as they are fragile and any in use today are likely decades old. They must also be checked for damage, some of which is only obvious to a trained technician. Microfiche has very fine resolution, and depending on its age, can be very poor quality. If this is the case, some work will be needed to improve the image quality before scanning can begin. This is a huge task which is easier to outsource to an expert.

There are experienced companies who will already have the equipment necessary to convert these microphotographs to a digital format. Once you send off your microfiche to such an organisation, such as Kefron, you will have them digitised quickly with between 1,000 to 1,500 sheets processed monthly. Outsourcing this task will save a significant amount of time, and therefore money. You and your company are then able to focus on what matters and have peace of mind in knowing the conversion will be performed as quickly and efficiently as possible. Also, you can be guaranteed the images will be of the highest possible quality which is not achievable for a company without the right know how.

Once you receive the new encrypted softcopies, the physical microfiche can be securely destroyed. The electronic copies will be sent via a secure VPN and will have encryptions and other security features applied to guarantee your information is safe and only accessible to the right people. This saves space, giving your company more storage for what you actually need to hold onto. Optical Character Recognition (OCR) can be applied to make them fully text searchable so you can find exactly what you need in a couple of clicks rather than trawling through potentially dozens of microphotographs.

Kefron offers expert advice based on years of experience digitising microfiche slides and every other type of documentation you can think of. We also have a dedicated scanning bureau with skilled and professional technicians who use the best possible technology for the job. For more information on where to start your digitisation journey and get microfiche scanned, click here.